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Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Who is Afraid of the Big Bad Pragmatism?

A farm boy who saw the compromising of living beings for their utility, a boy who grew into a poor, deprived young man, had to learn how to be pragmatic. In the case of someone like Disney, learn it and yet preserve the sense of poetry involved in his awed relationship with natural creation. Can that account not just for "The Tree Little Pigs" cartoon being an endearing story with endearing, round little characters, but for its side of black humor, in depicting the portraits of the pigs’ parents framed on their wall as a bunch of sausages for one and bacon for the other? In other words, is it Disney the farm boy “faces” the fact that pigs should turn into bacon but is it is Disney the poet that “exorcises” it by humor, and, turning pigs especially endearing produces, above all, a happy ending tale of moral virtue with them?

1 comment:

Eleonora, what an interesting question to raise. I think we can safely say that Walt owned both of those personalities fully. Perhaps it's a quality that many depression-era entrepreneurs developed... the contrast of innocence and ownership. A lovely post as usual Eleonora. I'm sorry I've been absent for so long, but I will do my best to post more regularly and be available. Also, thanks so much for the e-mail and video! It seems that talent extends to all of your family!